When the survival of the Chinese memorial shrine in historic Evergreen Cemetery was in question in 1990, the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California launched a campaign to preserve it for posterity.

The Shrine, built in 1888, is recognized as the earliest structural evidence of Chinese culture in Los Angeles and was declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 486 on August 31, 1990. Taking further action to protect the endangered monument, the Chinese Historical Society purchased the Memorial Shrine and the land on which it stands on September 17, 1992.

Phase One of the Chinese memorial's conservation–construction of a protective wall, wrought-iron fence, steps and a gate–was completed in June of 1995 through private donations and a grant from the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. Phase Two– reinforcing and refurbishing of the monument's structural elements and recreation of its center stone or stele–was completed in June, 1997.

We hope you will visit the Shrine, which is on the grounds of Evergreen Cemetery, just east of Downtown Los Angeles, at 204 N. Evergreen Ave. (Evergreen Avenue and First Street), in Boyle Heights.

For more information, contact Randall Bloch, c/o Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, 415 Bernard Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012-1703.

• Full Report, photographs on the shrine project